PANews reported on January 19th, citing CoinDesk, that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is proposing a system to connect the central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) of the BRICS countries, aiming to promote cross-border trade and tourism among member states and gradually reduce dependence on the US dollar. Sources revealed that the RBI has urged the government to include the proposal to create a CBDC interconnection system on the agenda of the 2026 BRICS summit, scheduled to be hosted by India later this year. This would be the first formal attempt by the BRICS countries to establish such a CBDC link.